Living Standards Measurements Study - Serbia 2002 - 2007

Table 2.5. Average monthly expenditure and household expenditure , 2007
Average expenditure in dinars
Total
Urban
area
Other
areas
Total
Structure in percent
Urban
area
Other
areas
Total 52 843 57 441 45 940 100.0 100.0 100.0
Food and beverages 17 783 17 876 17 644 33.7 31.1 38.4
Alcoholic drinks and tobacco 2 078 2 011 2 178 3.9 3.5 4.7
Clothes and footwear 2 742 3 281 1 931 5.2 5.7 4.2
Housing, water, power supply, gas
and other fuels
9 834 11 723 7 000 18.6 20.4 15.2
Furniture, household furnishing and
maintenance
1 625 1 855 1 282 3.1 3.2 2.8
Health care 2 183 2 510 1 693 4.1 4.4 3.7
Transport 4 487 4 592 4 331 8.5 8.0 9.4
Communications 1 790 2 116 1 302 3.4 3.7 2.8
Recreation and culture 3 067 4 095 1 524 5.8 7.1 3.3
Education 751 990 393 1.4 1.7 0.9
Restaurants and hotels 2 451 2 996 1 634 4.6 5.2 3.6
Other goods and services 4 110 4 660 3 284 7.8 8.1 7.1
Likewise, the expenditure structure of Serbian
households shows considerable deviations by type
of settlement. The expenditure of urban households
is characterized by a lower share of the costs of food
and beverages – 31.1 percent, while such a share in
the households in other areas is significantly higher,
reaching 38.4 percent. Such a high share of the costs
of housing, water, power supply, gas and other fuels
in urban households is due to the 20.4 percent of the
value of the imputed rent, which, according to the
methodology, represents a part of this expenditure
group. As for households in other areas, the share of
such costs is notably lower - 15.2 percent, since the
value of the imputed rent is higher in urban areas,
which have a more developed real estate market and
where apartment prices are higher.
The expenditure structure for urban households
is additionally characterized by a two times higher
share of the costs of recreation and culture, and a
higher share of costs on restaurants and hotels. The
costs of health services are by 0.7 percentage points
greater within the expenditure structure for urban
households, in comparison to rural (other)
households. The costs of education services are
higher in urban households, which can be explained
by the fact that the number of schoolchildren is
larger in this area.
If we analyze the monthly expenditure of the
average household by area it is notable that the
average household in Belgrade spends 64 706
dinars, i.e. almost one fourth more than the Serbian
average. The average household in West Serbia
spends 44 752 dinars, or 15 percent less than the
Serbian average.
The lowest costs of food and beverages within
the total expenditure structure are recorded in
households in Belgrade (30.3 percent), which, on
the other hand, have the highest share of the costs of
housing, water, power supply, gas and other fuels
(22.4 percent), and costs of recreation and culture
(8.6 percent). Viewing the expenditure structure of
the households in Central Serbia and Vojvodina, it
is notable that the shares of expenditure groups are
almost equal.
HBS 2006 shows nearly the same expenditure
patterns in relation to area and type of settlement,
taking into account the methodological differences
in collecting and computing the relevant figures.
36 Living Standards Measurements Study - Serbia 2002 - 2007